Long Live
by newyork-stateofmind11
Summary: This is a post-breakup Finchel story. Ideas are kind of centered around the songs used. All songs are Taylor Swift songs.Title Credit is "Long Live" by Taylor Swift. Quinn/Rachel friendship. Please Read and Review!
1. NEED HELP?

**Hey! I'mmm baaaack! :) I know that Quinn and Rachel aren't actually friends, but I like the idea, so I went with it. Plese keep in mind that this chapter and the next is not really my best writing, but the rest is pretty good. I obviously don't own Glee or the songs that will be used in this story. Title credits are "Long Live" by Taylor Swift. Enjoy, and please review if you can!**

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"Rachel! Wait up!"

Quinn Fabray jogged over to the now-still brunette. Rachel's stance was that of somebody who was ready to blurt out defences at any minute and she still had her back to Quinn.

"What do you want, Quinn? Here to rub it in my face once again how badly I messed up with Finn? Or are you going to be a bit more creative this time, and tell me that Santana deserves him, or that you treated him better? Because if that's the case, I'd rather not listen to you."

Quinn sighed. She understood why Rachel was on the defensive- she had every reason to be. After all, Quinn herself couldn't even remember the last time she had said something nice to the small girl.

"I promise not to make fun of you. Will you please turn around?"

Rachel, too, sighed, and turned her body to face the blonde. "What?"

"Well, I was wondering if you needed some help with this week's assignment. After all, I don't think Taylor Swift is classified as a great Broadway icon."

Rachel didn't bother to mask her surprise. "No, she isn't….. But why would you want to help me?"

Quinn offered a half smile."You and I aren't so different. We both want to be liked; we can both be overly obnoxious; we both had Finn; and we both lost him. For the same reasons."

Rachel sniffed. "You do have a point. And I could use some help on this project. But how do I know this isn't some elaborate prank to humiliate me?"

Quinn took a moment to answer. "I suppose you're right. And even if I were to tell you that I wasn't, I doubt you would believe me. So I guess it's a matter of how much you can trust me, and whether or not you think I would be honest."

Rachel sighed again, clutching her notebook tighter to her chest. "I don't know who to trust right now. But I've seen your face when you're being devious, and I can tell right now that you are being completely honest. I do need some help in getting pointed in the right direction. And I kind of need a friend right now- but I doubt that's what you were thinking."

Quinn chuckled. "I'll admit, I never thought I would see that day, but it's clear that you need a shoulder to lean on. And you have always been there for me, even when I was a total bitch to you. Besides, I'm tired of hating you. It's exhausting trying to think of new insults. So yes- if you need me to be there as a friend I will be."

For the first time in a long time, Rachel felt her lips curl into a smile. "Okay. That would be really great."

Quinn smiled too. "Come over to my house at around 7:00, kay? Here's the address." She scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to Rachel. "I'll see you then." She shouldered her Cheerios' bag and turned to walk away.

"Quinn?"

She turned back to face Rachel. "Yes?"

Rachel blew out a long breath. "Thanks," she whispered softly.

Quinn simply smiled and continued her path down the hall.


	2. FRIENDS

**YAY! :) Even though I didn't get very many reviews, I got SO MANY emails telling me that so-and-so has added this story onto their alert list or onto their favorite stories list. Thanks! :) This story really isn't my best, and I'm very insecure about it. I'm gonna take this chance to advertise my other stories :) Like I said, this really isn't my best writing. I think my best story is Happily Ever After. Go, read it. Now. :) Enjoy this double (and long) update! **

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"Okay. I think I have the perfect song for you to sing."

Quinn handed Rachel some sheet music. The word "Haunted" was written in big, bold letters on the top of the page.

Rachel wrinkled her nose. "What's this song even about?"

"Basically, she's singing about a breakup. How something happened between them, and now he's gone, and she's begging him not to leave. Later on she goes on to say that she watched him walk away from everything they've ever had, but she still means every word she says. And now, no matter what she does, she's haunted by the thoughts of what could have been."

Rachel's eyes began to tear up. "Are you really sure I should sing this? As much as it fits my situation, don't you think he'll get angry?"

Quinn scoffed. "He has no reason to be. You are simply doing the assignment. Besides, country is about letting your emotions show. So if this describes what you're feeling, you should sing it."

Rachel hastily brushed away her tears and nodded her head firmly. "You're right. Besides, I need to sing. I haven't sung-well, properly that is- in a while. And my singing is always the best when I mean what I sing."

Quinn smiled. "Great. Okay, you need to practice. Like, hard."

Rachel looked confused. "Of course. I always do. But what about your song? We haven't discussed it."

Quinn gave her a sly grin. "I know exactly what I'm going to sing," she declared.

Rachel nodded, then stood up from the chair she was sitting on and flattened out her skirt. "Okay. Normally I would beg you to tell me but everyone is entitled to their share of surprise performances." She walked over to the door and had her hand on the knob when she asked the question that had been on her mind ever since Quinn had said that they had more in common than she thought.

"Quinn?"

"Mhmm?"

"Why'd you do it?"

Quinn looked at Rachel curiously. "Do what?"

Rachel fiddled with the hem of her skirt. She couldn't meet Quinn's eyes. "Cheat on Finn. With Noah, I mean."

Quinn smiled softly. "Same reason you did. I was feeling bad about myself. I needed somebody. And Puck was there for me when Finn wasn't."

Rachel nodded. "Thanks for doing this for me."

"Don't mention it. That's what friends do, right?"

Rachel smiled. Friends.

She could get used to that.


	3. HAUNTING INNOCENCE

Rachel walked into the Glee room later that week without her usual confidence. She was actually _scared_ for this performance. The last thing she wanted to do was make Finn angry. _ But it's none of his business. I'm simply doing the assignment,_ she reminded herself. Her troubled expression melted away when she saw Quinn waving her over, pointing to an empty seat beside her, wearing an easy grin. Rachel grinned back and took the offered seat. Quinn reached over and squeezed her hand reassuringly. And though she had only known this side of Quinn for a few days, Rachel found the gesture incredibly comforting. Soon her pose was relaxed and her face matched Quinn's.

"Okay, guys. Performance time. Who wants to go first?" Mr. Schue asked as he walked into the choir room.

Quinn's hand shot up so incredibly fast that even Rachel was surprised.

"Mr. Schue, I have a song that is really meaningful that I would like to sing."

Mr. Schue looked taken aback but allowed Quinn to come down and take center stage. "Let's hear it."

Quinn gave a signal, and the band began to play. She looked at Rachel, smiled, took a deep breath, and began to sing.

_Did some things you can't speak of_

_But at night you live it all again_

_You wouldn't be shattered on the floor now_

_If only you had seen what you know now then_

_Wasn't it easier in your firefly catching days?_

_When everything out of reach somebody bigger brought down to you_

_Wasn't it beautiful running wild till you fell asleep?_

_Before the monsters caught up to you_

_It's alright, just wait and see, _

_Your string of lights are still bright to me, oh_

_Who you are is not where you've been_

_You're still an innocent_

_It's okay, life is a tough crowd_

_17 you're still growing up now_

_Who you are is not what you did_

_You're still an innocent_

_Time turns flames to embers_

_You'll have new Septembers_

_Everyone of us has messed up too_

_Lives change like the weather_

_I hope you'll remember_

_Today is never too late to_

_Be brand new_

_Lost your balance on a tightrope, oh_

_It's never too late to get it back_

The song ended, and the room was silent. Finally, Quinn cleared her throat and looked at Rachel, whose eyes had filled with tears. "Rachel, that song was meant for you. You made a mistake, but so has everybody else. And one mistake doesn't dictate who you are. I just wanted you to know that. And that I'll be here for you. I'm not going anywhere."

Mr. Schue smiled as Rachel nodded. "Great, Quinn. Really inspirational. Okay. Next?"

Quinn had returned to her seat and was now looking at Rachel expectantly. "You can do this," she whispered to her, and Rachel smiled, repeating the words, before sticking up her hand. "Mr. Schue? I'd like to go next, if you don't mind."

"Not at all, Rachel. Let's hear what you came up with."

Rachel stood in front of the club, trying to ready herself for her performance. She had never gotten stage fright before, but now she found that her palms were slick with sweat, and she was trembling.

"Rachel?" Mr. Schue prompted gently.

"Oh. Right. I chose the song 'Haunted'."

There were a few more minutes of silence, until Mr. Schue spoke again.

"Could we hear it?"

There were several snickers from the other Glee clubbers, and Rachel blushed.

_Get a grip,_ Rachel told herself. "Of course." She nodded at the violinists, and they began to play. Then Rachel took a deep breath, looked directly at Finn, and sang.

_Stood there and watched you walk away from everything we had _

_But I still mean every word I say to you_

_People try to take away my pain, and he just might make me smile_

_But the whole time I'm wishing he was you instead_

_Oh whoa, holding my breath_

_Won't see you again_

_Something keeps me holding on to nothing_

_Come on, come on, don't leave me like this_

_I thought I had you figured out_

_Something's gone terribly wrong,_

_You're all I wanted_

_Come on, come on, don't leave me like this, _

_I thought I had you figured out_

_Can't breathe whenever you're gone_

_Can't turn back_

_Now I'm haunted_

_I know, I know, I just know, you're not gone, you can't be gone, no_

_Come on, come on, don't leave me like this,_

_I thought I had you figured out_

_Something's gone terribly wrong,_

_Won't finish what you started_

_Come on, come on, don't leave me like this,_

_I thought I had you figured out_

_Can't breathe whenever you're gone,_

_Can't go back_

_ I'm haunted_

_Oh_

_You and I walk a fragile line,_

_I have known it all this time,_

_But I never thought I'd see it break_

_Never thought I'd see it_

By the time the song was done there were tears streaming down Rachel's face. She was still looking at Finn, and she waited for him to say something. Anything. But his features remained cold.

Mr. Schue clapped slowly. "Great job Rachel. You really put a lot of emotion into that song."

Rachel remained frozen, until Quinn gently called her name, snapping Rachel out of her thoughts.

"Thanks," she whispered, and she went back to sit with Quinn.

"Mr. Schue? I'd like to do my song now, please."

Finn's voice was flat and emotionless, almost as though he was afraid of giving away too much. Rachel swallowed thickly and kept her gaze focused on the ground as Finn began to sing.

_It's strange to think the songs we used to sing_

_The smiles, the flowers everything…is gone_

_Yesterday I found out about you_

_Even now just looking at you_

_Feels wrong_

_You say that you'd take it all back, given one chance_

_It was a moment of weakness and you said yes_

_You should've said no_

_You should've gone home_

_You should've thought twice before you let it all go_

_You should've known the word bout what you did with him_

_Would get back to me_

_And I should have been there at the back of your mind_

_I shouldn't be asking myself why_

_You shouldn't be begging for forgiveness at my feet_

_You should've said no, baby and you might still have me_

_I can't resist, before you go tell me this…_

_Was it worth it,_

_Was _he_ worth this…._

_No….no no no…_

_You should've said no,_

_You should've thought twice before you let it all go_

_You should've known the word bout what you did with him_

_Would get back to me_

_And I should have been there at the back of your mind_

_I shouldn't be asking myself why_

_You shouldn't be begging for forgiveness at my feet_

_You should've said no, baby and you might still have me_

_You should've said no, baby and you might still have me-ee._

When he finished singing Finn was panting, his chest heaving up and down. He looked at Rachel, who was still looking at the ground. Until Santana spoke.

"Guess we all know who that song was about. How do you like the humiliation, Man-Hands? Looks like your sweetheart doesn't love you anymore."

That was all it took. With a mumbled 'I'm sorry' to Quinn, Rachel was gone, sprinting down the hall, letting the tears that had been filling her eyes as Finn sang cascade down her cheeks. She didn't even realize where she was going until she was already through the double doors and starting up the stairs to the stage. When she did, she realized it made sense. The stage had always been her home, the one place she could be herself. It made sense that she would flee there now. So she did what she knew she had come here to do. She sang.

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**There it is! :) A pretty long update, I might add ;) Song credits (all are Taylor Swift):**

**Quinn-Innocent **

**Rachel- Haunted**

**Finn- Should've Said No**

**I don't own Glee, Taylor Swift, or any characters. Only the idea for this story. :)**


	4. MAN TO MAN

**Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait in between the updates, and I apologize, as this chapter is pretty short. And, dshortklutz has requested that I have somebody smack Santana ;) It never occurred to me before, but I like the idea. After all, what kind of friend would Quinn be if she didn't stick up for Rachel? :D I still need to write the chapter, which I will do within the next couple of days. You can expect the update sometime next week, but not until Wednesday at the earliest, as I have exams and I am getting super stressed about those :S I promise it will be worth it! :) Again, sorry for the delay, and the fact that this chapter is kind of short. Don't forget to review! :D**

**Oh, and I just wanted to thank everybody who has put this story-or any of my other stories- on alert or put me as an author on alert. And, of course, those of you who reviewed. It really, honestly makes my day to see that I have a community of friends here. :)**

**Enjoy!**

**gleek1**

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Finn watched Rachel dash from the choir room. That wasn't what he wanted to happen. He just wanted…. oh, hell, he doesn't know what he wanted. He certainly succeeded in making her feel shitty.

_She was already in a lot of pain,_ the little voice in the back of his mind whispered to him.

_Shut up,_ he growled back.

He turned back to face his fellow glee clubbers, who looked shocked. And Puck had stood up from his seat and was making his way towards Finn. He gritted his teeth. What the hell did the asshole want now?

"Dude, not cool."

"What the hell? Who are you to judge? It wasn't cool of you to make out with my girlfriend, but you did anyways."

"I'll admit, I shouldn't be preaching. But she's already beating herself up over what she did. You just publicly humiliated her. It's pretty obvious that you were singing about her."

Finn grunted. "Good. Now she knows how humiliated I felt when I found out that she had cheated on me. I can just imagine how people see me. Had two girlfriends and both of them cheated on me. With the same guy."

Puck gave a frustrated sigh. "You don't get it, do you? If you didn't care so much about what other people thought she wouldn't have gone to me. Your reputation has always come first. You turned your back on her when she needed you most. She needed someone to listen, to care. And you weren't there. You've never been there."

Finn remained silent.

"You need to make things right. No matter what feelings you have for her now, nobody deserves what you just did. And if you don't make things right now, you'll lose her forever. She won't be there when you finally take your head out of your ass and realize that she's the best thing that's ever happened to you."

With those final words Finn was out the door and running towards the one place he knew she would be.


	5. BETTER THAN ALL OF US

**Hey guys! I know I said that I wouldn't be able to update till Wednesday, but I actually got some time to write this chapter and figured I would post it. I actually really love it. I hope it doesn't disappoint. Thanks for reading and reviewing, guys! It means alot to me! c:**

**Oh, and this part is actually for the chapter "HAUNTING INNOCENCE"- I wanted to let you know that I changed some of the words. To be specific, I changed 32 to 17 in "Innocent" (yes, I know Rachel is technically 16 but 17 flowed better with the rhythm of the song), and she to he in "Should've Said No". And, in true Glee fashion, I didn't use the full songs. I did some cutting so that I could use the words that were the most appropriate but still have it make sense. Okay, enough about that. Enjoy this chapter! **

**gleek1**

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Only after hearing Finn's footsteps did Quinn snap out of her stupor. She blinked, her eyes wide as she realized she should have gone after Rachel. But then something more important occurred to her, and she leapt to her feet.

In the next instant Santana Lopez was on the ground, a furious Quinn Fabray sitting on top of her.

"You"-_slap-_ "fucking"-_slap-_ "BITCH!"_slap_.

"Get the hell off of me!" Santana screeched, trying to push Quinn off.

But Quinn didn't budge.

"I can't BELIEVE I ever considered you my friend!"

Santana gave another hard shove, and this time Quinn tumbled to the floor.

"Oh, and I suppose Berry's a better one?" she sneers, standing up and brushing off her Cheerio's skirt.

That comment earns her another slap from Quinn.

"Of course she is. She's not a fucking slut who sleeps with every guy who asks me out, or pretends to be my friend when she really just wants to tear me down. She's real- she knows who she is. And she doesn't need any of you to show that to the world."

This time it's Santana who's doing the slapping, and Quinn's eyes are filled with fury as her cheek turns a shade of red.

_Yank._

"OWW!" Santana howled, and she began to claw at Quinn, who nimbly sidestepped all of her attempts to rip her face off.

"You can't touch me, you can't touch me," she sing-songed, sticking her tongue out.

"You little fucking-" Santana screeched, lunging for her. But Quinn merely backed away.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. I'm still captain of the squad, and with some of the information I know about you- like how you stole Finn's virginity to make head cheerleader, and what some of your more promiscuous extracurricular activities are- wouldn't do you much good in terms of climbing back up to the top."

Every mouth in the room dropped open at this startling revelation.

"I- I-"

"Save it, bitch. I thank God every day that I decided to become Rachel's friend, because she's a REAL friend. And I don't have to deal with backstabbing sluts anymore."

Quinn began to walk away, jumping over the foot Santana stuck out to trip her. But then she turned back.

"Did you tell Finn the truth? Did you? That you were so jealous of what he and Rachel had, were trying to sort out, that you told? Did it ever occur to you that maybe the reason that you can't be happy is because nobody wants to be associated with you? And, did you ever ONCE consider what you would've felt like if the roles were reversed? Because I sure as hell have. And I know that no matter how badly Rachel would've wanted that happiness, she would never have destroyed somebody else's to get it."

"You're wrong. Remember Baby-gate?" Santana smirked as Quinn flinched and for the first time her mask of bravery fell for a second.

But then she shook her head, smiling softly. "She only did what I couldn't do. And maybe at the time she had ulterior motives, but she did what was best for the guy she loved, and, as I realize now, what was best for me. I can only imagine what my life would be like now if she hadn't told Finn the truth. And that's where she rises above you all." Quinn locked eyes with every member of the group. "Day after day we insult her and yell at her and throw slushies in her face, and she never falters. Five minutes later she's bouncing back over to tell us some random fact about Barbra Streisand, and we always push her away. She's always been there for us, even when we didn't ask for her sympathy. No matter what we do, she's always tried to support us. And I guess she finally snapped. I would've a long time ago. And she will never, ever, deserve ANY of us as her friends. Not after what we've done to her."

And with that, for the third time that day, a Glee member makes a hasty exit from the choir room, leaving a shocked club in their wake.


	6. LAST KISS

**Hey guys! Who's excited for this Sunday's episode? MEEEE!:D Finally- Finn and Rachel's confrontation. :) Enjoy! Song is Last Kiss. Go and listen to it. Now. :)

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Rachel sang chorus after chorus of her favourite songs, but nothing seemed to help. Before she knew it, she was humming the chorus to a Taylor Swift song. She opened her mouth and began to sing, not even noticing the figure that had slipped through the door and was now watching her.

_I still remember the look on your face_

_Lit through the darkness at 1:58_

_The words that you whispered for just us to know_

_You told me you loved me, so why did you go away,_

_Away_

_I do recall now, the smell of the rain_

_Fresh on the pavement, I ran off the plane_

_That July 9__th__, the beat of your heart_

_It jumps through your shirt, I can still feel your arms_

_But now I'll go _

_Sit on the floor wearing your clothes_

_All that I know is I don't know_

_How to be something you miss_

_I never thought we'd have a last kiss_

_Never imagined we'd end like this_

_Your name, forever the name on my lips_

_I do remember the swing of your step_

_The life of the party, you're showing off again_

_And I'd roll my eyes and then you'd pull me in_

_I'm not much for dancing, but for you I did_

_Because I love your handshake, meeting my fathers_

_I love how you walk with your hands in your pockets_

_How you'd kiss me when I was in the middle of saying something_

_There's not a day I don't miss those rude interruptions_

_And I'll go _

_Sit on the floor wearing your clothes_

_All that I know is I don't know_

_How to be something you miss_

_I never thought we'd have a last kiss_

_Never imagined we'd end like this_

_Your name, forever the name on my lips_

_So I'll watch your life in pictures like I used to watch you sleep_

_And I feel you forget me like I used to feel you breathe_

_And I'll keep up with our old friends_

_Just to ask them how you are_

_Hope it's nice where you are_

_And I hope the sun shines and it's a beautiful day_

_And something reminds you you wish you had stayed_

_You can plan for a change in the weather and time_

_But I never planned on you changing your mind_

_So I'll go _

_Sit on the floor wearing your clothes_

_All that I know is I don't know_

_How to be something you miss_

_I never thought we'd have a last kiss_

_Never imagined we'd end like this_

_Your name, forever the name on my lips_

_Just like our last kiss_

_Forever the name on my lips_

_Forever the name on my lips_

_Just like our last_

Soon, Rachel found herself slumped on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. Then she heard him speak.

"I wouldn't have left, you know."

Her head snapped up, and she hastily brushed the tears from her eyes.

"I wasn't going anywhere. At least, I wasn't planning to. But I trusted you. I counted on you."

Her voice broke as she spoke. "I trusted you too, Finn. You're not the only one who left with a shattered heart and broken trust."

She stood up shakily and brushed off her skirt.

"I didn't do anything wrong."

She laughs bitterly at that. "You didn't do anything wrong? I counted on you. To stick up for me. To defend me. To be the one person in this whole school who knew me for who I was- who I still am. And time and again you let me down. You always told me you loved me, but you never showed it. At least not when others could see. You're very good with words. But you can never follow through with your actions. What was I? Some sick game? See how long you could lead me on? Some bet that you made with your football buddies, seeing how long you could toy with my heart? Because it ends now. I'm done letting my heart be your game, free to use and play with. I have feelings too, Finn. I needed someone to love me and be proud of me. Clearly you weren't."

He interjects, protesting loudly. "I WAS proud that you were my girlfriend, Rach." He immediately regrets using the nickname when he sees her flinch. "You have no idea how happy it made me that MY name was hanging from your neck."

She suddenly feels drained. When she speaks again, it's in a weary voice. She's tired of arguing.

"You're right. I don't have any idea what that necklace meant to you. Because you never told me. You never showed it."

He looks down at the floor, and she's almost through the doors before he speaks again. "I did love you, you know. And I still do."

She pauses, her hand on the doorknob, and turns back to him. "You know, Finn, sometimes I wonder if you ever did. Because you don't let go of someone you love as easily as you let go of me."

And then she's gone, and he's the one who's falling to the floor, sobbing.

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**OOOH, angst! Two more chapters to go, and I apologize in advance, because the next chapter is really, really short. I need to fix it up before I post it, so don't expect it right away. Maybe in a couple of days.**


	7. BROKEN

**Hey guys! I AM SUPER EXCITED FOR THE RETURN OF GLEE TONIGHT. :) I had to say that. I apologize for the fact that this section (I don't even consider it a chapter) is so short. The next one WILL be up today, but not right away because I need to alter the beginning to fit the mood that this writing creates. I originally wasn't planning on this but I felt that I needed to explain what happened to Quinn. Hell, I didn't plan for a lot of things in this story, but the characters just took control, and quite honestly? I love it when that happens. :) This story is so much better because of that. Enjoy the second last chapter. A note: I used all of 'Last Kiss' because it all seemed to fit, and I changed the line "meeting my father" to "meeting my fathers". I felt like I should say something.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or Taylor Swift. I wish. But then again, don't we all? ;)

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She can feel the tears returning as she steps out of the auditorium, and she doesn't make it very far before she falls, curling into a little ball.

She rocks back and forth, crying, because it just isn't fair.

So when Quinn arrives and holds her and lets her cry, and tells her everything's going to be okay, she doesn't believe her. Since when has anything worked out for the better in her world?

And as Quinn herself repeats those words, she wonders who she's trying to convince more- Rachel or herself.

Things have to be okay. They'll work out for the better. They have to.

Rachel's too good a person for things to continue to go downhill.

And when she hears muffled sobs coming from the auditorium, leaking through the crack in the door, she wonders if maybe somebody else has realized it too.

That Rachel has finally grown sick of being bullied and feeling unwanted and unloved. That she's finally snapped.

And nothing they say is going to make things better.


	8. LONG LIVE

**And now, *drumroll Finn* the FINAL CHAPTER. Thank you so much for sticking with me throughout this story. Thanks to those who reviewed, put me on Author alert/favourite, put this story on alert/favourite, and just those who read, whether or not they enjoyed it. I hope this chapter does not disappoint. Song credit is "I'm Only Me When I'm With You" by Taylor Swift, obv. It is my FAVOURITE Taylor Swift song. You should listen to it. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or Taylor Swift.**

**Here it is. Enjoy the final chapter of Long Live. **

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Even after three weeks, Rachel still couldn't bear to look at Finn. Yes, she had been harsh, and she had said some things that weren't very nice. But at least she was honest, unlike Finn. He hadn't talked to her since that day in the auditorium, and she had carefully mapped out her paths to her classes to avoid passing by his locker. She felt so silly for doing, but she just can't bear to see any evidence that he's not as torn up about this as she is, or worse, that he's moved on.

She watches from the corner of her eye as he makes his way to his seat, making sure that her expression stays neutral. Quinn gives her hand a reassuring squeeze, and whispers "I'm here for you" into her ear. Rachel can only nod, unable to speak. She watches Finn whisper something to Puck, who nods and looks over at Rachel. She can feel her eyes welling with tears- are they talking about her again? She slumps a bit lower into her seat.

"Okay guys! We did okay at sectionals, but Regionals is in a month, and we really need to up our game," Mr. Schue announced as he walked through the door- five minutes late, Rachel noted wryly.

"Now, does anybody-"

"Actually, Mr. Schue, I was hoping I could sing something." Everybody turned, startled, to Finn, who had quietly spoken up. Ever since the _Should've Said No_ incident a few weeks back, Finn hadn't said much of anything, let alone ask to sing.

"Um, okay, but-"

"It's from our Taylor Swift assignment a couple of weeks ago," Finn interrupted again.

"Aw, HELL no," Mercedes shouted from the back. "I am NOT down with sitting through another song like _Should've Said No_."

Finn turned to her. "I promise you, Mercedes, this song is different."

"Great, Finn," Mr. Schue interjected, seeing Mercedes' mouth forming a response. "Let's hear it."

Finn walked to the front of the room.

"I think this song is pretty self-explanatory," he said, and then he flashed Rachel a heart-stopping grin, and it took her a minute to remember her promise to herself that she wouldn't go crawling back to him.

_Friday night beneath the stars,__  
__in a field behind your yard,__  
__you and I are paintin' pictures in the sky.__  
__And sometimes we don't say a thing;__  
__just listen to the crickets sing.__  
__Everything I need is right here by my side.__  
__And I know everything about you__  
__I don't wanna live without you._

_I'm only up when you're not down.__  
__Don't wanna fly if you're still on the ground.__  
__It's like no matter what I do.__  
__Well you drive me crazy half the time;__  
__the other half I'm only trying to let you know that what I feel is true.__  
__And I'm only me when I'm with you._

As Finn began the chorus, Rachel found herself beginning to walk forward, moving closer and closer to Finn as Quinn watched with a soft smile on her face. Before she even realized what was happening, she began to sing the next verse.

_Just a small town boy and girl__  
__livin' in a crazy world.__  
__Tryin' to figure out what is and isn't true.__  
__And I don't try to hide my tears.__  
__The secrets or my deepest fears.__  
__Through it all nobody gets me like you do.__  
__And you know everything about me.__  
__You say that you can't live without me._

Finn finally managed to get over his shock, and his voice joined Rachel's, their voices melding together like they always had.

_I'm only up when you're not down.__  
__Don't wanna fly if you're still on the ground.__  
__It's like no matter what I do.__  
__Well you drive me crazy half the time;__  
__the other half I'm only trying to let you know that what I feel is true.__  
__And I'm only me when I'm with you._

_When I'm with anybody else it's so hard to be myself.__  
__Only you can tell._

_That I'm only up when you're not down.__  
__Don't wanna fly if you're still on the ground.__  
__It's like no matter what I do.__  
__Well you drive me crazy half the time;__  
__the other half I'm only trying to let you know that what I feel is true.__  
__And I'm only me__  
__Who I wanna be__  
__Well, I'm only me when I'm with you__  
__With you__  
__Uh huh__  
__Yeah__  
_

The song finished, and Finn and Rachel looked at each other, hearts pounding.

In the next minute, they were locked in a tight embrace, Finn's chin resting on top of Rachel's head, Rachel's face buried in Finn's chest. Neither one of them could bring themselves to pull away, to lose the only physical contact they'd had for weeks. Finally, finally, the barriers were broken- both the physical and the mental- and as Finn smelled Rachel's shampoo and Rachel inhaled Finn's cologne, they were both thinking the same thing:

_We're going to be okay._

_

* * *

Long live, the walls we crashed through_

_How the kingdom lights shined just for me and you_

_And I was screaming long live_

_All the magic we made,_

_And bring on all the pretenders,_

_I'm not afraid-_

_Someday we will be remembered.

* * *

_**And there it is. I hope it didn't disappoint. You, my dear readers, can interpret the line "We're going to be okay" any way you want. It could be "we can be a couple again", it could be "we can be friends", or it could simply mean that they can now begin to heal. I say this because I kinda have a love-hate relationship with Finchel reunion fics, because the author's always do a great job, but I just want to see what happens on the show. So interpret that line the way you wish.**

**Also, I'm going to be taking a break from Fanfiction. I really just need to reconnect with the characters and rediscover my love for the show. So thanks for a great run guys. I might be back someday, but no time soon. I love you all!**

**gleek1**


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